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As guests of the Australian Antarctic Division, Phil Ashley-Brown & Geoff Overmyer spent from mid December 2012 to mid January 2013 at Casey Station in Antarctica collecting stories for ABC Local Radio. This video is a summary of their time at Casey and on the Aurora Australis.

The crash of the Kenn Borak Air Twin Otter last week will leave many Australian expeditioners shell shocked and very sad. It's presumed that pilot Bob Heath and crew of Mike Denton and Perry Anderson didn't survive the crash on the side of Mt Elizabeth while under charter to the Italians.

Bob Heath was a likeable, outgoing character who was well known in the Australian stations. The AAD uses Kenn Borak Air and the Canadian air crews are regulars at the Australian bases. When Geoff and I were at Casey we spent a fair bit of time talking to the Canadian flight crew and in particular to Bob who took an interest in mentoring the younger pilots. Bob was taking the Twin Otter over to Davis during our stay and had been delayed for a number of days. After one of the flight briefings I watched him carefully briefing his co-pilot and using the spare time to teach him about flying in Antarctic conditions.

Bob gave me a great interview and was the only person I spoke to who was able to give me a true sense of the size of Antarctica. He was a great bloke, he loved working with the AAD and he'll be sadly missed by many people.

We were 145 kilometres from Tasmania, it was 11pm and my phone went into overdrive bleeping messages from the last three weeks that I'd missed.Welcome back to civilization.

And what a welcome it was. My three little ones yelled, "hey dad" at the top of their voices as we disembarked. There were hugs everywhere and some emotional scenes from the people who'd been away for more than a year.

I bumped into many of the winterers later in the day. Sheri was loading fresh herbs into a shopping basket; Dan had just been to the Botanic Gardens to hug a tree and Misty had just bought a fast food burger she'd been craving for months.

And so ended a great journey. Thanks to everyone who took an interest, to those of you who supported us and to those who shared your stories. It was a wonderful experience.

The Southern Ocean has been kind to us. We haven't had
any gales but we've certainly had a taste of what it can be like. We've rocked
and rolled, tossed and turned in 35knots and 4 metre seas. It has been bleak,
foggy and cold.

But now we're getting closer and there's a growing sense
of excitement among the winterers as we near the land. They'll soon see their
first green land in more than a year.
Note: Phil Ashley-Brown and Geoff Overmyer travelled to Casey Station as part of the Australian Antarctic Division's media program which covered trip costs.
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After calm weather at Casey Station the Southern Ocean hasn't disappointed. It's exactly how I imagined it. Grey, cold, windy and isolated. And we're in average swell of about 4 metres with just under 40 knots of wind. Almost a calm for this place! This shot was taken from the bridge through the glass which is why it's grainy.

The Aurora Australis is a bit like being on a cork. It is designed to crash over ice and it has a rounded hull. That means it tosses and turns in the ocean. And yes, everyone is feeling a little woozy and we're all dealing with it in our own ways. Quite a few people have disappeared into their cabins and my tactic is to keep busy.

I didn't get a true understanding of the isolation of this place until we started to push our way through the ice on Tuesday. It was a slow process and took a day and a half to get through the pack ice and there's still at least another six to seven days to go. Our trip down on the A319 took around 4 hours in comparison. So until I heard the ice scrape its way down the ship and saw it stretch off into the distance I couldn't grasp the distance.

We missed out on Christmas and New Years celebrations because the unloading of the ship was the priority at the station and everything else was postponed. The crew put on a barbeque on the trawl deck of the Aurora Australis as we were cruising out through the sea ice. It was an awesome experience to stand next to an open fire on the deck of a ship as icebergs and sea ice drifted past. It was also extremely cold but something I'll never forget.

Zane Hacker is one of the expeditioners on board. He came down to work on the small boats that they use to ferry people ashore and to check fuel lines. He works in his family's honey business in Queensland and his hobby is taking photos in Antarctica when he's working here. This is a great picture. I love how you can see the true size of the iceberg. Like they say, "it's only the tip of the iceberg."
Note, Phil Ashley-Brown and Geoff Overmyer travelled with the Australian Antarctic Division's media program which covered expenses from Hobart.

Geoff and me taking in the extraordinary view of the pack ice. It took just under two days to get through the ice in the ship and gave us an insight into how difficult it is to get to Casey Station.
Note: Phil Ashley-Brown and Geoff Overmyer travelled to Casey Station through the Australian Antarctic Division's media program which paid for the trip.
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It took about 36 hours to get through the ice pack. When the ship hit large pieces of ice it was knocked off course. There'd be a crack as the ice broken and you'd hear it scrape down the side of the vessel.

I spent hours watching the ice break under weight of the ship. I asked Captain Murray Doyle how he knew where to steer. He said they look for dark clouds in the distance. "The dark is the reflection of the water onto the cloud whereas a white cloud has ice reflecting onto it." They also use satelite pictures to see where the ice isn't as thick. And the old fashioned technique of climbing the mast is still in vogue. Captain Doyle had just been to the top of the mast when I spoke to him. No pirates out there though, just ice.

Picture by Geoff Overmyer

Note: Phil Ashley-Brown and Geoff Overmyer were selected to participate in the Australian Antarctic Division's media program which paid for the trip. They are the only Australian journalists taking part in the program this year.
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It was an extraordinary sight to watch the moon rising over the icebergs. It was around 3am when we first saw it. The light was perfect as the sun was setting low on the horizon. At this time of year the sun doesn't set at all, it just skims the horizon and you get a sunset and sunrise all in one.

We called this iceberg "Big Berg". Then we saw another one which was even bigger so it was called "Bigger Berg" and then another even bigger one came along and things got very silly. These bergs were all grounded in an area nick named "Ice berg ally." We were lucky with weather as the conditions were clear and calm and not too cold. I stayed up til 4am watching the bergs and the pack ice.

After two weeks at Casey Station in Eastern Antarctica we're finally on the move and it was good to see some penguins line up to say goodbye. The crew at Casey stood up on Reeve's hill and waved as the ship slowly edged away from view. I was chatting to the former station leader Mark Hunt who is returning with us and he said that when you see the ship go, "it's very final and you know you're on your own."

This is our new home and we'll be here for at least the next week as the Aurora Australis makes its way through sea ice and back to Hobart. The plan is that we'll leave Newcombe Bay here at Casey Station tomorrow afternoon (New Years Day) with an expected arrival in Hobart of around the 12th. There'll be a BBQ on deck as we make our way through the ice.

We were bundled out of here yesterday with not a lot of time, packed up our gear, raced down to the wharf and were ferried across to the ship. It was a mad rush to pack up our mini studio. When we arrived one of the crew said, yes it's all "hurry up and wait" around here which seemed quite right. We were welcomed and told that we had 48 hours before we left. I guess they just wanted us to be on board. There's a fair bit of waiting that I'm not used to and I'll have to get used to not having internet or quick email. I've ducked back to the base to write this update. From here on, we've only got email.

Geoff and I are sharing the same room with him in the upper bunk and I'm down below. It's very close living quarters and we're the only pair sharing a room. Happy New Years!

Note: Phil Ashley-Brown and Geoff Overmyer are travelling with the Australian Antarctic Division which paid for the trip.
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